Without limiting the scope of the disclosed tool and method, the background is described in connection with a novel approach to the extraction of the outer ring wheel bearing component after a wheel bearing has experienced failure.
Wheel bearings of tractors and trailers begin to fail after about a year of use. Once the wheel bearing has failed, this component must be replaced before the wheel on the tractor or trailer will become operational.
A wheel bearing is composed of three parts: outer ring, inner ring, and the ball bearings which reside between the outer and inner rings. When a wheel bearing fails, the inner ring and the ball bearings will dislocate from the wheel. The failed bearing will leave the outer ring within the wheel hub. In order to replace the wheel bearing unit, the wheel bearing outer ring must be removed from the wheel hub. Without proper tools, this effort can be tedious and time consuming. Many repair shops resort to welding the outer ring out of the wheel hub. Moreover, the removal of failed bearings is also effected with tools that are adjustable with pivot pins, slots and screws. These tools have a tendency to loosen, to wear out and slip, damaging the wheel hubs internal structures. Many of the tools are also directed towards extracting out worn bearings that have not failed and thus all of the components are still within the wheel hub.
A first example of an adjustable bearing remover of the prior art is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,358,353 issued on Dec. 19, 1967 to Jack A. Bares et al. In this example, the device comprises a pair of prongs with notches on a driven end of these prongs, and an anvil cap enclosing the driving end. The prongs are movable about a pivot axis in the anvil cap, to adjust the notches to different diameters of bearings. When the notches are engaged with the edge of a bearing race, a hammer is used to strike the anvil cap and push the bearing race out of its seat.
A second example of a bearing race driver is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,136 issued on Sep. 27, 1977 to William E. Shultz. This tool is an impact type tool made of six conical grooved segments that are held together by a resilient retainer against a conical wedge member. The adjustment of the wedge member along a threaded rod causes the grooved segments to expand to different diameters.
A third example of an impact tool for working bearings is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,447 issued on Feb. 7, 1984 to Marvin A. Davis. The bearing cup installation tool described therein has three prongs that are movable toward and away from each other about respective pivots in a core block. Each prong is movable by the adjustment of a cam disc along a threaded rod extending from the core block, to cause the cam disc to slide along a respective cam bar on each prong.
A fourth example of a tool for working with bearings is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,261 issued on Aug. 8, 2000 to Roland Goguen. In this example, the device described utilizes a punch head and is inserted at an angle into the wheel hub to knock out the bearing components.
In reality, impact tools that are made of several moving parts are often improperly adjusted, causing the tools to deflect and often slip out of its engagement with a bearing cup or cone. Repeat impacts on these tools often cause the moving parts to loosen up and adversely affect the adjustability of the tools. As a result, the bearing jobs done in many garages are often carried out using defective tools, and the bearing installations are sometimes below acceptable quality standards.
Furthermore there are still, unfortunately, many shops and mechanics that use punches and chisels for removing a wheel bearing outer ring from a wheel hub. The use of such tools is common amongst small shops and work that is conducted remotely, with the unfortunate consequences of damaging bearing seats and shortening the life of all subsequent bearing installations.
The present invention proposes a novel tool and method of use for the extraction of the wheel bearing outer ring component after the wheel bearing has failed.